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Show Rhode Island School Leader. The first public school in New England, believed to be the first in the United States, was launched at Newport, H. I., 283 years ago, when the men of Ehode Island voted to support such an institution to be conducted by the Rev. Robert Len-thai, Len-thai, a Church of England clergyman. clergy-man. In the colonial days in America little thought was given to the education edu-cation of the children of the "common" "com-mon" people, and among the well-to-do the opinion generally prevailed pre-vailed that such people were better off without any education. The Rhode Islanders did not share this view, however, and when Rev. Mr. Lenthal proposed to "keep a public school for the learning learn-ing of youth" he found ready sup port for his - project. He was granted 100 acres of land to be "laid forth and appropriated for a school, for encouragement of the poorer sort, to train up their youch In learning." Capper's Weekly. |